Business Intelligence

Providers utilize business intelligence to monitor referral patterns and collaborate with clinicians who order their services. Such analytics tools have also been deployed in the specialty to improve productivity, track patient satisfaction and bolster quality.

House Passes Bill to Reverse Physician Pay Cut

In a 417 to 1 vote, the House passed legislation to reverse a 21.3% SGR-mandated physician pay cut and grant a 2.2% pay increase instead. Rep George Miller (D-Calif) was the only holdout.

Some States to See Big Increases in Insured at Little or No Cost

A new report, Medicaid Coverage and Spending in Health Reform: National and State-by-State Results, offers detailed analysis of the impact of the Medicaid expansion mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on state and federal Medicaid coverage and costs.

CMS to Carriers: Process Doc Bills with 21.3% Cut

Left with no other choice, CMS has instructed its carriers to lift the hold on processing physician claims submitted since June 1 and begin paying the bills with the 21.3% negative sustainable growth rate update.

Senate Whittles Doc Pay Fix from 19 to 6 Months

The Senate is expected to vote soon on a revised package of tax provisions and health spending that would grant physicians a 2.2% pay increase through November only, averting the 21.2% pay reduction that went into effect June 1.

Helpful Sites for PQRI

AMA data-collection worksheets:

Business 101: Goal Setting and Strategic Planning

MMP

This article is the second installment in a four-part series on applying basic business concepts to radiology. To read the first installment, click here.

A Step-by-step Guide to Implementing PQRI

The 2006 Tax Relief and Health Care Act required the establishment of a physician quality reporting system. The requirement called for an incentive payment for eligible professionals who satisfactorily report data on quality measures for covered professional services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries. CMS ultimately named this program the

Have RIS/PACS, Will Travel

Sponsored by FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas

For over thirty years, Radiation Physics Inc (Beltsville, Maryland) has been providing mobile imaging services to the Baltimore and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas, serving long-term–care and assisted-living clients, as well as prisons and private residences. “We started doing this in 1976, and the business model has been pretty much the same

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The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.